San Diego Museum of Man
Balboa Park
April 19, 2016
Meredith played hooky from work and went to Balboa Park on a Tuesday afternoon, to take advantage of a couple of the museums offering free Tuesday admission to San Diego County residents. Most of the park’s museums participate in this program once a month, on a rotating basis. This day was a third Tuesday, which meant the participating museums that day were the Museum of Man, the Museum of Art, the Mingei Museum, and the Japanese Friendship Garden.
Meredith had hoped to see the cannibal exhibit, Cannibals: Myth & Reality, but that is a special exhibition with a separate, paid admission, so she decided to skip it this time and see it later when we can both go. That exhibit is scheduled to run through 2018, so there should be plenty of opportunity.
Meredith found the exhibit on race, Race, Are We So Different?, to be particularly interesting. There was a timeline of race perception and laws with good factual information, and a self portrait section with subjective descriptions. She was struck by the woman whose heritage mixed many ethnic groups, who wrote of herself “I’m what’s on the spoon when you pull it out of the melting pot.” The museum’s website advises this exhibit will be temporarily closed from May 20 through June 5, 2016.
She strolled through various other exhibits about the Maya, the Kumeyaay, the history of beer, monsters, and primates. Exhibits are well laid out and accompanied by helpful written information.
As noted above, Meredith’s visit was on a free Tuesday. Regular admission is $12.50 for adults, $20 with the cannibal exhibit included. There are reduced rates for seniors, military, youth, and students. There is a small additional charge for those who want to buy timed tickets and climb the California Tower, with views out over the park. Balboa Park offers free parking, but lots can be crowded, and visitors may need to park at a distance and walk or take a tram.